


The Hollow City

by Whoknows138



Category: The Hollow (Cartoon)
Genre: Adam just wants to know what the hell is going on and what the hell to do???, Alcohol, Existential Crisis, Explicit Language, I've been thinking of this au thing for a while now and I decided to turn it into a fanfic, Kai is a fucking disaster, Mira is best mom/sister, Multi, One Night Stands, Past Relationship(s), Reeve is just trying to live life as normally as he can, Sexual Content, Sexual Harassment, Skeet is a chill older bro, Smoking, This might not actually go anywhere XD, Vanessa has no time for you BS and has a meeting in five minutes, Weed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:35:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23705470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whoknows138/pseuds/Whoknows138
Summary: "I’m sure you’re very confused, that is to be expected!"Even after the explanation, Adam was STILL confused.If anything, his biggest question was WHY this happened, why this cluster-fuck of a situation had been shoved onto him.(Basically rewrote a major plot point of the hollow and made an entire story out of it whoops!)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 38





	1. Such a Lovely Place...

**Author's Note:**

> The Hollow but what if the main revelation was that the world ended and they're bodies are on a spaceship in space, connected to a mainframe that puts them in a sort of digital city to live their lives normally at and stuff.
> 
> Have fun reading this hot mess I made XD.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Such a lovely face...

The last thing Adam remembered was pressing that green button, with Kai and Mira.

After that, it was dark for what seem like an agonizing _year_ to him.

But finally, for some reason, he was able to open his eyes. And what he was presented with confused him more than anything else he’d gone through so far.

He was…surrounded by glass…was he in a _tube_? Where _was_ he?

After raising his hand, and placing it gentle over the clear covering that surrounded him, he was able to confirm that yes, he was floating in a tube.

Wait, _floating_? But he was complete dry! He’s not submerged in water! How was this even _possible_?

“ _Dang_ Adam! About _time_ you recovered from the glitch virus!”

Adam turned his head towards the left, only to see a very familiar man in front of him.

… _Weirdo himself_.

“One _entire_ year huh? Your avatar took its sweet time!” Weirdo’s comment made 0 sense to the Latino, who furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The weird guy raised his hand, and suddenly, out of nowhere, what appeared to be strange cyan screens straight out of a Sci-Fi movie magically appeared in front of it. A few button presses later, and Adam’s face was harshly panted on the floor. The glass tube in front of him lowering to the ground faster than he could say “ _What?_ ”

A hand was offered to him, which he reluctantly took. As weirdo helped him to his feet, he observed his surroundings.

He appeared to be in a white, small room with three strange test tube arranged side by side, leaning against the wall. A door was to the far left, on the opposite wall.

This strange place…almost had the air and vibe of a hospital room…was he in some strange…sci-fi hospital?

…Wait… _why doesn’t he have memories_?

“I…I thought we won! What’s going on?! Where are the other-“

“As the kids say. Chillax my dude!” Weirdo attempted to reassure the concerned teen with a happy go lucky smile and a rough pat on the back, which actually did little to reassure the concerned teen. “I know this is a bit jarring for you, but don’t worry! We have a theater room with a video to explain all your questions! And of course, if there are still more of them, you may ask me! The captain of this ship!” They provided the information with confidence, a large smirk on their face.

Adam would have asked for more, but a few more button presses, and suddenly they weren’t in the small white room anymore. Instead, they appeared in a large movie theater. Modern, sleek, and a mixture of blacks, greys and whites.

He was pushed onto the nearest theater seat without a single word. Weirdo sat down at the seat next to him, crossing his legs and waiting contently for the “movie” to start.

And start the movie did. Adam placed his hands uncomfortably on his lap, thousands of questions swirling in his head.

On the screen, a young, blonde teen slowly walked into the scene of a calm, serene park. She turned her head towards the camera, displaying a calm, serene smile. “Why hello there!” She said, giving a small wave. “Us at The Hollow Spacecraft #01 are _thrilled_ to see you have finally awoken!”

“I’m _sure_ you’re very confused, that is to be expected. With things going out of order and the previous plan being abandoned, this video is here to explain to you the situation you’re currently in right now!”

The teen raised her hand, pointing towards some text and pictures that had faded onto the screen next to her. “To answer two of your most burning questions, yes, you’re still “in the game!” and no, you will not be leaving it any time soon…unless, of course, the spaceship that holds us and this mainframe finds a habitable planet to land!”

“Only a year ago. Earth was a world torn asunder by a harsh war, threatening to destroy the planet at a moment’s notice with nuclear bombs! Years before this, The company known as “Hollow” located in Vancouver, Canada, one of the few neutral countries left, decided to take matters into their own hands in preserving humanity. As such, Project “The Hollow Spacecraft” was made!”

“ _You_ were one of the 100,000 children between the ages of 5 and 8 whose parents signed you up for the program. You all have been raised, and taught at headquarters for about 10 years…before the predicted disaster struck.”

“On New Year’s Day, most of the countries around the world finally launched the nukes that had stored over the years. From all the commotion, it’s not known who launched first, but every piece of land was targeted, and the world was soon going to become an atomic wasteland. Luckily, as we had practiced, all 100,000 of you got on board the spacecraft, connected to the mainframe through your specially designated pods, and the spaceship managed to reach out of orbit just before the bombs exploded.”

The talkative woman clapped her hands together, giving a reassuring gaze. “Now I’m sure this is a lot to take in, so let’s give you some refreshments, yes? We’ll give you a one-minute break to enjoy some of them in silence, before we continue.”

The park was no more, and instead a soft, bluish pastel background with the blue text “please stand by” was displayed. Adam stared at the screen, complete baffled and bewildered…that is until a small table randomly shot up in front of Adam, presenting some cinnamon scones, as well as some iced tea. Then Adam was just startled.

He took a moment to recover from the shock, cautiously grabbed one of the cinnamon scones, and slowly took a bite. Chewing and swallowing the piece, he turned his head towards the relaxed psychopath next to him, and attempted to ask a question that had complete filled his mind. “What the _hell_ is-“

“Shhhhhhhhh~” The weird placed a finger towards his mouth, silencing the confused teen. “It’s gonna start up again, pay attention and ask questions later.”

Just as Weirdo said, the calming, ethereal background music started up again, and the young blonde once again stood proudly with a smile. “There we go. All better? Good, let’s continue…”

“Now, you may be surprised, but you are among one of the 1,000 people to have reached the highest grades in The Hollow schooling program. As such, you had been urged to pair with two others, also of the 1,000 special students, in order to prepare for “the game” that you have just played.”

“This special program was designed in order to determine the best candidates for leaders, who could lead the other 99,000 once the spacecraft lands on a new planet. The game you just played was designed to distinguish the most special groups from the others, cutting the top leaders in half.”

“Of course, the _original_ plan was for the number one successful student to automatically be the right-hand man to the captain. The number 1 _team_ to be the right-hand men of the captain’s right-hand man. The 166 teams who won to be the administrators of the world. The 166 who didn’t to be in charge of documents, news, and the programming. And finally, the other 99,000 to help contribute to this digital economy and world, in preparation for when we land on a habitable planet.”

“Of course, however, something unexpected occurred…a virus somehow slipped into the system before we launched, causing all sorts of crazy glitches and problems to occur. You may have noticed this while in “the game.” It affected your transportation into the city. You were, in a sense, corrupted as your data transferred all the way to this place.”

“The room you woke up in, in fact the building you woke up in, called the glitch cleansing station, was designed in response to this corruption, which put all 332 teams into a comatose like state. The tubes cleansed you of your glitch virus, and woke you up again!”

“How long it takes for someone to be cleansed depends on the person and a myriad of different circumstances. Please ask the captain how long you have been “sleeping” if you are curious.”

“This explanation has already been long enough I believe! The captain will provide you with paperwork for you to read and sign, which will give you more information on your situation and what you are expected to do. Thank you for your time…and please, **enjoy your stay at The Hollow City!** ”

The park faded away, and a black screen, displaying the end credits rolled from above.

Adam stared at the screen, completely dumbfounded as he tried to process what he had just witnessed.

Earth is _destroyed_?

He’s on a _spaceship_?

_His body is connected to some mainframe that’s placing him in a digital world_?

…Wait… _what Weirdo said_ …

**He’s been in a coma for an entire year**?

… _The others_! _Mira and Kai_!

“Hey now, keep your chin up!” Weirdo patted Adam’s head, snapping him out of his frantic thoughts. “Your teammate Mira’s gonna be here any minute now, so I only have a few minutes to give you your paperwork and clarify some things.”

The weird guy urged Adam to stand up, and the two walked out of the theater through the double doors that stood across from the movie screen. Emerging from the other side, Adam was greeted with a large hallway like area. It was structured a lot like the entrance to a hospital. There was even a receptionist at each of the corners near the doors, typing away busily.

Weirdo began to shift through the purse he had been carrying, and pulled out what looked to be ten pages, filled to the brim with text. They practically shoved it at the overwhelmed teen. “Here you go. When Mira drives you home she’ll help you fill it out.”

“…Mira’s ok?”

The tall, purple skinned man burst into laughter at what he deemed to be a “bizarre” question. “Is she _ok_? _Of course_ she’s ok! Everyone you know is _perfectly fine_ …in fact, you’re the last one to wake up out of all the others that were in your game!”

This explanation did little to ease the teen's nerves. After a moment of awkward silence, Weirdo coughed to gain Adam’s attention. “Anyways. There’s something I should tell you about right away. The reason you don’t have your memories right now is because I’m giving you a _choice_.”

Adam raised an eyebrow at this confession. “…What do you mean _a choice_?”

“Ya’see, I realized that no _everyone_ wants to remember what their life was like back on earth. Perhaps it only makes them sad and longing you know? So Basically, hang around with your team mates for a month, get yourself settled into the _groooovy_ life of the city, and then come back to me if you’ve decided you want your memories back.”

Adam would have replied, but a strange “bing” sound resounded around the area, and a cyan screen showed up in front of Weirdo. “Oh!” He swiftly dragged his finger across, and stared at it for a few moments, before giving Adam an excited smile. “Mira just texted me, she’s here!”

Adam was pretty much pushed through the glass doors that displayed an evening sky. As the doors were slammed behind him, he stared in awe at the sprawling city of skyscrapers and sleek buildings before him.

Every single one of his senses was overwhelmed. The clear and fresh are filled his nostrils, the bright lights memorized him, the busy honking sounds of the cars terrified him, and he clung onto his paper work as a means to comfort him.

This was happening _way_ to fast. He needed a _breather_ , he needed _silence_ , he needed a place to sit and actually process what the _fuck_ just happened to him right now…

His attempts at preventing a panic attack were interrupted by an all too familiar voice in the distance. “…Adam!” It called out in excitement, and Adam turned towards the direction of the voice, only to see Mira

…at least…he _thinks_ it’s Mira.

She had a similar voice to Mira, and a similar face and body to Mira, but she looked completely different from the Mira he knew in the game. Her hair was at neck length, and dyed completely blue. Her outfit was rather casual and surfer like, with just a bit of a psychedelic/retro flair. Even her face was different in a sense; her makeup made her look more cutesy, especially her pink lipstick.

This…”Mira” ran up to him and enveloped him in a tight hug. “I came as soon as I heard! It’s been months since I’ve seen you awake!” She separated, giving him a happy and relieved expression. “How are you right now?”

… _Yeah_ , _it was Mira_. Even if she had changed physically, she didn’t seem to have changed much personality wise.

He was relieved at this revelation, relieved to tears apparently. “…I-I…I’m o-ok?” He stuttered out shakily, still overwhelmed by the situation.

Mira’s happy expression quickly morphed into that of concern and sadness. “…Oh you poor thing! I should have known! You must be _so_ overwhelmed and confused right now.” She gently grabbed one of Adam’s hands, urging him to follow her. “Come on, Let’s get you in the Audi. I’m sure you need some peace and quiet…”

Adam held on tight to his paperwork with one hand, and onto Mira’s hand with the other, observing the bustling city life around him as he was led to the parking area.

Eventually they reach what appeared to be a dark red Audi, which Mira opened one of the front doors to. Adam quickly understood Mira’s intent when she motioned over and over towards the inside of the car, and Adam quickly took his seat.

The car door next to him was shut, and shortly thereafter the door on the opposite side was open. Mira took the driver’s seat, shut the door, and pressed a few buttons in front of her. These button presses somehow managed to cancel out all the noise outside, leaving the inside of the car completely silent.

It was only then that everything came crashing down, like a dam had finally being broken, and released all the water it had blocked.

Mira gentle rubbed Adam’s back as he cried his eyes out, trying his best to restrain the sobs that threatened to erupt from his mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY2INMutWxk
> 
> Guess I'm doing a new fanfic project now XD
> 
> Feel free to comment your thoughts and criticisms below!


	2. Look at me I'm self-employed!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love to work at nothing all day!

“…Do you feel better Adam?"

“…Yeah…I’m still a bit…overwhelmed by all this…but I’m mostly good.”

Adam couldn’t stop staring at the steering wheel of the car…which Mira wasn’t touching. Despite this, the car was _moving_ , it was rolling along the highway without crashing into anything.

“…How is…the car doing that?”

“Oh, It’s on automatic mode. I just put in the directions and it drives there. Making sure to obey the laws and avoid crashes of course.”

Adam rubbed his free hand against his head, clutching onto the paperwork Weirdo gave him “…God…I really am still in a game huh?”

“…I…wouldn’t really call this a game…what you’re in right now is _life_ Adam…digital life, but not something to take too lightly.” Grabbing a water bottle from the nearby cup holder, she drank its contents contently. “Of course…some people _chose_ to believe it’s just a game…” She muttered under her breath, almost _annoyed_ at the very thought.

“…Where’s Kai?” Adam just had to ask that question. Mira’s here after all, and even though the weird guy said everyone was fine, he didn’t trust them one bit.

Mira winced a bit, and let out a frustrated sigh. The action greatly raised Adam’s internal alarm. “…Is he ok?! Did something-“

“No, no! He’s…“fine” I suppose…I’m just…assuming he’s “busy”” The air quotes she made as she said the word “busy” only confused Adam. Copying the air quotes, he decided to press for more information “…What do you mean by “busy?””

“You’ll…see pretty soon. He’s either going to come back from whatever party he was at this time _tonight_ , _or_ he’s going to come back from some random guy’s house in the morning.”

The vague explanation Mira gave him only puzzled him even more, but he decided to stop his questions about Kai, and began to lazily stare out of the window of the car, watching the buildings zoom past him.

Eventually, Mira couldn’t take the silence anymore, and so she decided to pick of where they left off. “…I know he’ll be glad to see you again though. He’s been waiting a lot longer for you to wake up than I have.”

“…What do you mean by that?” Adam removed his elbow from the car door, and turned his head towards the “driver.” Mira let out a small, awkward giggle. “I woke up around 3 months before you did. I’m still a bit new to all this in a sense…” She leaned her head against the seat she sat on, sighing contently at the comfort. “Kai however was the second one to wake up out of all six of us. If you include Vanessa, Reeve, and Skeet, since they were our opponents. Kai’s been waiting for around... _10 months_ for you to wake up.”

“…Wait…Weirdo said I was the last…so…what exactly is the order here? Who got healed first?”

“Vanessa; only about two weeks after the glitch infecting incident. Kai woke up around two months after, then Skeet woke up 2 months later, and then Reeve woke up 3 months after Skeet. I woke up around 2 months after Reeve…and well, here you are now!” She gave her old friend a small pat on the shoulder, giving him a reassuring smile. “On news year day too! You’re lucky I got let off early at the animal shelter! Weirdo would have had to drive you to our home…and I don’t think you’d want that.”

Adam vigorously shook his head. “Definitely not. He made me feel _more_ overwhelmed.”

“Yeah. I should have a talk with him later…this whole fast paced introduction method is just _not_ working.”

Adam heard and felt the car slow in pace, and then stop suddenly. Looking out the front window, he saw what appeared to be not a house…but almost a _mansion_.

Modern and sleek like everything else in this place, it was decently huge. There was even a fountain at the front, with some angular hedges leading to the front door.

“ **This is where you guys live**?!” He shouted out. Racing out of the car and gawking with wide eyes. Mira shut the car door behind her and locked it with a button press from her car keys. “Where _we_ live Adam…welcome home!” She said, almost with a proud smile.

As Adam stepped inside… _his home_ apparently, he only gawked more.

Mira showed him around the spacious kitchen and the luxurious living room and dining room. She even showed him her room, which was nicely decorated with all sorts of sea themed stuff.

“I’d show you Kai’s room, he doesn’t really care but… _you don’t want to see what’s in there_.”

Adam _did_ actually want to see what was in there. He was _very_ curious now. He didn’t want to upset Mira however, so he decided to let it go for now.

And then he was shown his own room, which was next to the other two bedrooms. It was bare, had a bed with generic coverings, completely dull. Someone would almost mistake it for a guest bed.

“It’s not much, but once you start earning money you can decorate it however you like!”

After that Adam was shown the guest beds, an exercise room, and then probably the biggest room in the entire mansion. ““The banging room” as Kai calls it.” Mira explained. “There’s a bar stand over there, lots of tables, a karaoke station, some private areas for…yeah this is basically the party room.”

A set of double doors in the party room led to the back yard, which housed a _huge_ pool. A third of it was sort of cut off, and seemed to be filled with actual fish. “Have to practice my powers somehow!” Mira cooed out as she gently petted one of the angelfish.

“…Wait… _powers_?!” Adam shouted in confusion. “ _You still have your powers_?!”

“…Yeah. Everyone who participated in the game does, regardless of whether their team won or lost.”

“…But why?!”

Mira stood up from the edge of the pool crossing her arms and staring to the side in thought. “…This is pretty much everything…If you’re not too exhausted we can go into the living room and discuss your paperwork. Best to get that over with as soon as possible.”

The next thing Adam knew he was lounging on one of the _very_ comfy couches as Mira went through each page and summarized its contents.

“Basically, the virus is still trying to…mess things up. All of the teams that won now have the special job of “cleaning up” any glitch residue and…things that emerge from the edge of the game. We’re basically a mixture of fire-fighters and bodyguards. We fight and defeat the glitch monsters, clean up the damage, and save the normal folk.” She evenly sorted out the pages of paperwork, and then pulled out two of them, placing them on the nearby coffee table. “Everything I just summed up for each page is mostly mumbo jumbo. Stuff you’re not going to care about unless under _very_ specific circumstances. Just sign pages 2 and 7 and you should be good to go for training.”

Adam blinked a few times, processing everything he was just told, before slowly nodding in agreement with… _this_. “…Is there anything else I should know about…?”

“The glitch fighting is mandatory; you have to be on the front lines at least once a week or else you lose certain privileges. Sorting out and helping some of the losing teams with the paperwork, news, and programing at headquarters _isn’t_ mandatory, but _is_ recommended. I’ll let you decide on that.” Mira pulled out a pen from the pocket of her shorts, and set it next to the two pages. “…Also, I should mention that you can sign up to do some special “activity’s” as well, or I suppose the more accurate term would be “you can get a normal job.” I work at an animal shelter for example. Getting a job is a _whole_ different signing process however. It’s not covered on these pages. You’ll have to ask Weirdo about it later. He’ll give you some advice and the necessary paperwork.”

Adam, after a few moments, slowly breathed in, slowly breathed out, and picked up the pen. “…I’ll…think about it.” He muttered, signing his name on the two pages.

When he was finished, Mira took the two pages and resorted them, placing it back into the paperwork pile. “Aaaaaaalright. I’ll go ahead and send this to weirdo for you. Lord knows you need to relax after all _that_.” She stood up, grabbing and putting on her shoes. “You should begin your first fighting lessons in around a week. That’s how it was for me.”

“…You had to do this as well?”

“Oh yeah! Everyone who had to go through the game has to go through this. I started bawling as soon as Kai picked me up from the GCS…Ah, that’s an abbreviation for the glitch cleansing station.”

The sound of Mira’s flip flops hitting against the floor grew quieter and quieter as she pranced towards the front door of the house. Her voice however grew louder and louder in order for Adam to still be able to hear her. “…Oh yeah! Speaking of Kai! I’m going to be gone for a while in order to deliver these! Kai might actually end up coming home tonight before I come back! Skeet’s usually with him so if that’s the case you should be fine! If not…just hang in there until I get back!” She opening the door, and turned her head towards Adam, who stared at her with a mixture of confusion and concern. “He’s a _biiiig_ handful when he’s drunk off his ass, but I’m sure you can handle it. Make yourself at home!”

The front door was slammed shut, leaving the uncomfortable and worried Adam alone in an unfamiliar house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCIUf8eYPqA
> 
> What's this? A new chapter???
> 
> Enjoy my dudes. Enjoy this mistake I've begun to work on XD.


	3. The Way You Push! Push…Let's Me Know That You're Good~

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're gonna get your wish! Oh yeah~

The second the car began driving towards its destination, headquarters. Mira pulled up her personal screen. The various cyan glowing tabs each had different icons, and tapping each would provide you with a different function, or program. Mira clicked the chat bubble tab, and then clicked on Skeet's name among the list of contacts she had.

After pressing the video chat button, a waiting screen was displayed. She Hoped Skeet would pick up…

And sure enough, after a few moments, the personal screen enlarged a bit, displaying the blonde guy, surrounded by various screaming teens in a dark, neon lighted room.

“ **Mira! How are you dudette?!** ” Skeet shouted as loud as he could, the blasting music around him made it difficult to hear what he said, even while yelling.

“ **Hey Skeet, you and Kai having fun?!** ”

“ ** _Oh hell yeah_! I’m having a killer time! Jessica throws _the best_ parties! As for Kai? I don’t know, I lost him an hour ago-**“

“ **Wait**.” Mira interrupted Skeet, worry displayed on her face. “ **…You lost Kai?!** ”

“ **Yeah, but I’m sure he’s fine. He most likely just hooked up with some random guy. Probably having the time of his life in their car.** ”

“ **Shit! That means he’s coming home by himself tonight!** ”

“ **…Hey.** ” Skeet walked in certain direction, eventually stopping in a much less crowded room, allowing his voice to be heard better. “Is something bad going on in the house?”

Mira let out a deep sigh. “No, not really…” She paused for a moment, rubbing her hand against her face. “… _Adam woke up_.”

“… _Shit_ …Are you serious?”

“Yeah.”

“You aren’t pulling my leg?”

“Nope.”

“…Damn! About time. Congratulations Mira! But like…what's the problem-“

“I’m delivering his papers to headquarters right now, he’s all by himself in the house.”

Skeet kept he mouth shut for a solid 5 seconds, staring blankly at Mira. “… _Oooooooh_ …”

“I mean, I’m sure Adam will be fine but…I wouldn’t want him to have to deal with Kai while they’re drunk by himself, he’s already overwhelmed as it is. Kai’s transformation will just freak him out even more…”

“…Well.” Skeet began, giving a small smirk. “Adam’s either going to have his hands full or he’s going to have his hands _full_.” He wiggled his eyebrows at the enunciation. “If you catch my drift.”

Mira let out a small giggle; covering her face and tightly shutting her eyes “Skeet _stoooop_! Kai wouldn’t do anything like that with _Adam_! Now hurry over to my house and save that poor boy!”

Adam ended up napping on the couch for his first hour alone in the house. Everything that had just happened to him, even though he had only been awake for a few hours, had completely drained his energy.

He felt a little better when he woke up, but still felt that discomfort from being alone in a stranger’s house…well…technically it was his house now but _still_. He literally was just introduced to this place.

After sitting and staring blankly at nothing in particular for a few minutes, he decided the best he could do was wander around the house and get used to his surroundings. Maybe even find something to preoccupy his time with.

So he wandered around the living room, eyeballing every decoration and piece of furniture. He looked through the contents of the fridge in the kitchen, and developed some concern when he noticed entire shelf dedicated to just alcohol. He looked through his bedroom again, which was just as empty and barren as before, and made some lose plans on what he could change.

Then he began to wander around the party room. The bar was filled with various types of whiskies, wines, vodkas, and other miscellaneous items. There was a book on the top that contained various cocktail recipes.

…Come to think of it… _why is there even alcohol in this house_? Adam’s 17…no wait, scratch that, 18, it’s been a year. He _knows_ Mira and Kai aren’t older than him. How did they even get this stuff? Was this even _legal_? Are the drinking laws different because it’s all digital?

He dropped the thought from his mind for now. He’ll ask Mira about it later.

The rest of the party room gave him nothing but confusion, and sometimes disappointment. There were plenty of bongs on the various tables, and he swore he even saw hookahs for the larger ones.

He checked the “private areas” which were basically rooms full of couches, surrounded by hanging curtains. There were end tables at the center of these spots, with drawers on the sides.

The moment he opened one of them and saw condoms, he got the heck out of there as fast as he could, his face flushed from embarrassment.

He ended up sprinting back to the living room, breathing in and out in an attempt to calm himself down. He lazily laid back on the couch for another few minutes, trying not to think about what he just saw.

After that he began to look through the drawers and cupboards near him, eventually finding some boardgames and puzzles in one of the wall cupboards. He pulled out a 300-piece puzzle and worked on it to pass the time.

Placing each piece in its proper place, he constantly thought about how he hoped Mira would be home soon-

“ **Goooood that was the best party I’ve ever been too!** ”

The slamming of a door and the sound of high heels prancing along the floor alerted Adam, and dragged his gaze away from his half-finished puzzle. The voice was slightly slurred, but he recognized it.

The person he saw behind him, he didn’t recognize at all. What he saw left his mouth hanging wide open.

Kai still had that same facial structure, but the cat eyeliner made him look bolder. His signature messy red hair was now swept back and spikey, done most likely with tons of hair gel. His clothes were the biggest thing that set him apart. High heeled boots, tights with some booty shorts, and a long sleeve three toned shirt that seemed loose, and exposed one of his shoulders more than the other. A tank top was worn underneath.

“…Miiiiira?! Where aaaaaare you?! Are you mad at me again?!” He slurred out, stepping towards the nearby couch and collapsing onto it, letting out a content sigh. “What did I do this time-“

Kai stared blankly at Adam, who gawked back, his hand hovering over the puzzle on top of the coffee table.

“… _Fuck_ … _God_ did Annie put something in my drink again?” Kai began to rub his eyes, staring at Adam in confusion. “…Ooooook then uh…who are you? If you aren’t a hallucination.”

Adam finally closed his mouth, gulping a bit. There was no way this was Kai, right? “…Uh…It’s me, Adam.”

Kai widened his eyes a bit, and then began shaking his head. “S-sorry man, I’m seeing things, and you’re looking like an Adam I used to know…Which one are you?”

“Wha-“

“ _Waaaait_ , You the Adam from that beach party a few months ago?” Kai gave an impish smirk, twisting his body and propping his head up with his hands. “Cause if so that night was _wild_. Glad you took the initiative to finally come over and _get some_ ~”

“U-um-“

“To be honest I _literally_ just got laid but I could probably go for another round. I’ll let you take the lead-“

“ _Kai it’s me, Adam_. The guy from _the game_ , remember?”

An awkward silence hung between the two teens, which was eventually broken when Kai abruptly sat up. “…Get…out…”

“…I-I really can’t-“

“ **Get out!** ” Kai shouted with a wide smile. “ **No way!** **Are you serious!?** You _better_ not be pulling my dick, and I don’t mean the sexual way. I mean you better not be lying-“

“I’m not!” Adam raised his hands defensively. “I-I swear, it’s me! I just woke up-“

The next thing he knew he was nearly tackled onto the floor. Kai’s arms wrapped tightly around him, and the fresh stench of booze filling his nose. “I missed you _sooooooooooo_ much Adam! It’s been _so looooooong_!” Kai whined out, nuzzling his neck. “Why did you decide to wake up _noooow_?! That’s so mean!”

Adam was too busy staring at the hickeys that adorned Kai’s neck and shoulders to reply.

“… _Duuuuude_!” Kai suddenly separated from the Latino, a wide smirk on his face. “We _have_ to celebrate! I have this white wine I’ve been ageing for _months_ now _just_ for this occasion! I’ll get a cup for you!”

Before Adam could object, Kai was already prancing sloppily towards the kitchen, nearly tripping over nothing multiple times on the way.

As Adam heard faint giggles coming from the kitchen, he tried to process everything that had just happened.

Kai has slicked back hair.

Kai “just got laid” apparently.

Kai just offered him sex.

Kai’s clearly _completely smashed_.

_Kai._

**_Kai for fucks sake_**!

 _There was no way the guy he just conversed with was Kai_. _Absolutely no way_. Maybe Kai has a twin brother? Or maybe he’s a clone? Honestly, he’s willing to accept _anything_ at this point, _any explanation_ for how the heck this Kai he was under the same roof with right now came to be.

Out of nowhere, the front door was opened and then shut gently. Adam was greatly relieved to finally see something that looked mostly familiar. Skeet seemed to have hardly changed at all. Despite the leather jacket, he looked pretty much the same as he did back in the game.

“…Dang, Mira really wasn’t lying!” Skeet shuffled towards Adam, who still sat on the floor in front of the coffee table. “Nice to finally see you again dude! Uh…sorry about the whole game thing.”

“…I-it’s fine.” Adam reassured after a few moments of thought. “You guys were just trying to win the game; I don’t take it personally.”

Skeet gave the unsure teen a small smile. “Sure am glad about that! Anyways, is Kai here-“

Skeet’s question was answered by Kai himself, who waltzed the best his could out of the kitchen, holding two filled up wine cups. “…Oh hey Skeet! What are you doing here? I thought you were still at the party?”

Skeet ignored Kai’s question, and asked his own “How much did you drink?”

“…Uuuuuuh…four fireballs and I _think_ a moose bowl-”

“ _Ooooooook then_.” Skeet sighed out, gentle removing the two wine cups from Kai’s hands. “You’re done for the night.”

Kai’s protests were ignored as Skeet handed the two wine cups for Adam to reluctantly hold. Those protests were then interrupted as Skeet pick Kai up and carried him on his shoulder, towards the red-heads room.

After a few minutes, Skeet cautiously walked out of the mysterious room, and gently shut the door. He tiptoed down the stairs and sat down lazily on the couch. “Sorry you had to deal with the mess that is a drunk as hell Kai. He gets like that when he’s had too much.”

“…What’s he like when he’s sober?” Adam reluctantly asked, setting the two glasses on the coffee table, next to the puzzle. Skeet snorted at the question, covering his mouth in an attempt to control himself. “…S-sorry. Uh…Yeah. Kai doesn’t do sober. He’s pretty much always drunk whether it’s very lightly or completely head over heels.”

“… _Oh_ …”

“I mean, he’s a lot more rational when he’s somewhat sober. He’s much more chill usually, so you don’t have to worry.”

“…So, uh…Mira told you about me?”

Skeet perked up at the topic change. “Yeah, she video chatted me about it while she was driving to headquarters. I’m here because of it.” He leaned his head on the arm of the couch. “I’m feeling too lazy to drive back to my house so I think I’ll wait for her to come home and ask her if I can stay over tonight. She should be back in a few minutes.”

Adam let out a sigh of relief at the news, and smashed his head against the puzzle he was working on. Skeet only “mmmmh’d” in response.

“…Oh yeah uh, it’s like 10 PM dude. You should get some sleep; just saying. You need some rest after all this.”

Adam didn’t argue, mostly because he 100% agreed with Skeet. He slowly stood up, and shuffled up the stairs to his room. He collapsed on his bed, and after a few moments everything went to black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xqMY8UAGgg
> 
> Oops I made a new chapter-


	4. When the Day That Lies Ahead of Me Seems Impossible to Face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When someone else instead of me Always seems to know the way.

A bright, shining light was the thing that woke Adam up from his peaceful, thoughtless sleep.

He slowly blinked his eyes open, hoping that maybe, just maybe, it had all been some weird dream. That this clusterfuck of a situation wasn’t happening.

But when he saw the familiar dull grey walls, he knew he was still in “his room.”

He groggily lifted his body up from the bed, rubbing his forehead and letting out a small sigh. He stood up, grabbed the bedroom door handle, and opened the door, revealing the large, almost mansion like house before his eyes.

The place was once again surprisingly quiet. He wished he knew what time it was, and he hoped Mira was still around. He didn’t know what he’d do if he was by himself. Do another puzzle? That was already boring before Kai showed up.

Speaking of Kai, the red-head erupted from his own room shortly after Adam walked into the hallway, covering his mouth with wide eyes. Sprinting past Adam and almost pushing him aside, he raced towards the nearby bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Muffled puking sounds were heard from the door directly after.

Adam stood in place for a few minutes, his uneasiness increasing as the retching noises continued. Eventually he couldn’t take it anymore and slowly stepped towards the bathroom door. After a few moments of reluctance, he gently knocked. “…Hey…are you-“

“I- _I_ d _i_ d _n_ ’ _t_ l _o_ c _k_ t _h_ e _d_ o _o_ r…G _o_ a _h_ e _a_ d.”

Adam slowly opened the door, and was met with a thoroughly pale Kai, throwing chunks into the toilet. “… _F-fuck_. I shouldn’t of drank that moose bowl.” He strained out between barfs

Adam, after uncomfortably staring at the scene for a while, decided to ask his question again. “…Are…you OK-“

“My head is ringing like a church bell, I’m currently dry heaving into a toilet, and my ass feels like it got impaled by a flag pole. _Does it fucking look like I’m ok_?”

Adam didn’t say anything in return to the harsh reply, he only leaned his body against the doorway and stared off to the side. He wasn’t really sure what he could do to help at the moment, other than…well, be there for Kai he supposed. Whether he fully accepted it or not, the guy in front of him that was currently throwing up from excessive alcohol intake was the same guy that made a tree pun.

After many more minutes of throwing chunks and dry heaving, Kai deemed himself done with the hurling, and shakily lifted himself up from the toilet. He pretty much ignored Adam, instead slowly shuffling down the stairs and towards the kitchen, holding his head in pain.

Adam had pretty much nothing else to do, so he decided to follow the teen. He noticed how Kai’s hair wasn’t slicked back anymore, and was its usual messy self. The familiarity brought him some sense of comfort.

He stopped at the doorway, watching Kai open the fridge and surf his hands through its contents. That’s when he decided to speak up, as the silence was getting awkward to him. “…So-“

“ _Dude_. My hangover is the size of _fucking Venus_ right now. _Please_ shut up until I’ve had my Martini.” Kai shut down Adam’s attempt at conversation, yanking a glass from the fridge and drinking its contents like his life depended on it.

Smacking the glass down on the nearby counter, Kai let out a relieved sigh, raising his head towards the ceiling with his eyes closed. He then lowered his head and finally focused his attention towards the Latino, who awkwardly bit his lip and stared to the side.

And then Kai continued to stare at Adam, almost as if he was seeing a ghost. The piercing gaze was slowly rising Adam’s anxiety. “…Uh…are you ok-“

“ ** _Adam_?!**” Kai suddenly burst out, leaning his body against the counter with a shocked expression on his face. “Holy _fuck_ is that you?!”

…

“…Yeah…you saw me last night remember-“

“Dude I was _completely_ drunk off my ass, I don’t remember _shit_.”

Adam raised an eyebrow at this statement. “…But…I was with you in the bathroom! How did you not notice it was me until now?!”

Kai erupted into a small giggle fit at this, laying his upper body on the counter and trying to prevent the laughter from escaping his mouth. “Dude…The world is _still_ kind of a blurry mess right now. Brain machine _broke_.” He raised his head back up, staring at Adam with a side smirk plastered on his face. “But about fucking _time_ that ass of yours decided to finally wake up! I was starting to get impatient!”

“…Y-yeah…” Adam clung onto his arm, glancing around the kitchen until his eyes caught a clock hanging on the wall, displaying the supposed time. “…So…it’s 7 a.m. huh?”

“ _Great conversation starter_.” Kai muttered sarcastically, picking up his glass and taking a sip. “But yeah. Mira probably got off to work around an hour ago.”

“…Oh wow.”

“I know right!” Kai shouted, raising the martini glass up and causing it to spill some of its contents. “I keep telling her to let lose a little. _Have some fun bitch_! But she’s always all like “ _I need to set a good example! We need to prepare ourselves for the planet landing!_ ”” He mocked Mira’s tone of voice, waving his free hand back and forth. “ _Planet landing my ass_! We’re going to be stuck in this digital world until the ship runs out of nutrition to inject into our unconscious bodies and we _starve_ to death.” His free hand then began to point at Adam, and gave them a stern glare. “And I don’t give a single shit what daddy says. That purple oompa loopa can _suck my dick_!”

Adam blinked at the last comment, trying to figure out who Kai was talking about. The realization struck him after a few moments of processing. “…Wait…are you talking about weirdo?”

“…Yeah?” Kai blinked in confusion. “I mean, I’ve called _many_ people daddy but I thought the purple oompa loopa comment made it obvious?”

“I mean, yeah, it was kind of obvious but…you call him _daddy_?”

“Yeah. All the kids who choose to stay memoryless call him dad, father, something similar.”

“You…chose to stay memoryless?”

Kai let out a small giggle, smirking at Adam with a raised eyebrow. “ _What would be the point in remembering about the pas_ t? Earth’s destroyed and everyone you may have loved that didn’t get on this ship is _dead_. Best to just stay ignorant and not think about it.”

Adam would have replied to that statement, but a cyan colored screen suddenly popped up in front of Kai, producing a ringing sound that reverberated across the kitchen room. Kai pressed the screen, and in response it grew larger, displaying a blurry picture…no wait…video?

“Sup jackass~ How’re you doing!?” Kai cooed out in a mocking, yet friendly tone. The video surprisingly replied to Kai’s question “Pretty good. How’s your pounded ass doing?”

…Wait…

 _Was that Reeve_?

“ _Horrible_. Whoever fucked me last night’s gonna get their dick burned off if I find them.”

“Sorry to hear about _that_.” The familiar voice uttered, letting out a small sigh. “So Mira texted me last night about Adam being awake, that true?”

Kai responded by pressing the screen, causing it to flip and face Adam. The blurriness was gone, and Reeve was displayed before Adam’s eyes.

He didn’t look different, really. He was still wearing red it seemed, and he still had that cold stare. The only main difference Adam could see off the bat was that his hair was now much longer, and in a lose ponytail that draped over one of his shoulders. “…Well god damn.” Reeve stated, his eyes widening just a bit. “An entire year of waiting, and it’s finally happened. How you doing man?”

“…Uh…good?” Adam hesitantly replied. He was still processing all this. He remembered a short conversation with Kai back in the game about how Reeve was an asshole to Kai. Seeing the two’s brief greeting, which was rather friendly, was confusing Adam to his very core.

Reeve stared at Adam blankly for a few moments before glaring to the side. “Kai you didn’t try to make a move on him did you?”

“What? No!” Kai erupted into laughter at the mere thought. “I mean, maybe last night when I was hammered but I wouldn’t know! Hey Adam!” Kai walked away from the counter, and stood next to Adam, his drink in his hand. “Did I do anything to you last night?”

Adam thought back to Kai mistaking him for a random guy and offering him sex.

“…No.” Adam settled with. “You didn’t do anything like that.”

“See!” Kai leaned his arm against Adam’s shoulder and pointed at him. “Even _I_ have standards!” Reeve only rolled his eyes in response. “Yeah yeah, just try to keep your pants on. If you can’t go bother someone else, the poor guy’s probably overwhelmed enough as it is.”

“I’ll keep that in mind~” Kai lilted out, wiggling his eyebrows ever so slightly. Reeve’s frown turned up ever so slightly for a few seconds, before returning to its usual state. “So anyways, what are you two gonna do for the day? Cause I’m free right now.”

Kai perked up at Reeve’s suggestion, and smiled widely. “ _Ooooooooooh_ the three of us should _totally_ go out for today. Go to a café, see the sights, maybe play some arcade games. It’d be a nice way to show you around the block Adam!”

Adam blinked at the suggestion. He didn’t really have much to do at this house…

…What’s the worst that could happen? It'll just be a drive around town! He needs to start getting familiar with this place anyways.

“…Yeah…Uh…OK.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEeaS6fuUoA
> 
> And here's another chapter! Enjoy. (And I'm possibly sorry XD)


	5. Strut it Out, Walk a Mile!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Serve it ancient city style!

"... _Absolutely not_."

Adam raised an eyebrow at Kai's disapproval, as they eyed him up and down.

"...I'm sorry?" He responded, confusion filling his mind. They didn't have much time. Reeve would be here any minute, and he was sure he was ready to go.

"You wore those clothes yesterday, didn't you?" Kai asked, pointing at each individual part of Adam's outfit and then shaking his head. "...God even if you didn't I wouldn't let you go out in that, at least with _me_. You look plainer than the simp that tried to score me a week ago!" He shook his head again, emitting a few tsks, before turning on his heel and prancing up the stairs. "Hold on a second, I think I have something in my closet that can help..."

Adam watched the now thoroughly cleaned up Kai step into their room in a hurry, their pure black fur coat nearly trailing across the floor. Kai seemed to be one for fashion, and appearances in general. The intricate eyeliner they put on themselves looked like it took hours, when in actuality, it only took 5 minutes.

Adam couldn't help but feel a bit insulted, even though he wasn't much for thinking about his appearance.

He didn't have time to think hard on his slightly injured pride however, as the front door opened slowly. Reeve's face peaked out, observing their surroundings. "...I'm here." They stated, pushing past the door once they saw Adam and stepping towards him.

Reeve really wasn't that different looking, besides the hair, just as Adam first thought. Red hoodie and green pants. Simple and familiar. The only other strange thing he noticed was the floral smell Reeve emitted. "...Hey...Reeve." Adam muttered, clinging onto his arm at the tension that filled the room. "Nice to...see you again?"

"...Look." Reeve began, crossing his arms and letting out a short sigh. "I'm sorry man. I wasn't exactly a stable person back in the game. Had a lot of anger issues and all that...But I've gotten better. I just hope we can put our past behind us and maybe become friends?"

Adam stood there, nearly gawking at Reeve's apology. They were very different from the scowling Reeve He knew back in the game. It seems their time in the city gave them wisdom...or patience. "...It's...no problem. You uh...you've really changed." Adam commented, scratching his head with an awkward smile. "What have you been doing in the city?"

"Sorting through paperwork at headquarters, handling news, y'know, the stuff mandatory for someone from a losing team. Other than that? I work as a florist. Weirdo suggested it to me right of the bat. Said the flowers would help calm me down...and it kind of did I suppose."

"So that's why you and Kai get along now?" He couldn't help but ask. "You two seem close."

Reeve shifted his gaze toward the side in response, and awkwardly nodded. "...It's...a bit more complicated than that."

...What-

"Anyways, where _is_ that little shit?" Reeve questioned, throwing himself on the nearby couch, and looking around the living room. "He should be ready by now-"

Reeve was interrupted by the sound of high heels slamming down on the nearby stairs. There was Kai again, holding some sort of white leather jacket in his hand. "... _Oh my god you look worse than Adam_!" Kai whined out, eyeing Reeve head to toe. " _At least Adam has the city logo on his shirt! I fancied myself up for nothing_!"

Reeve shrugged, a wide smirk on his face as he crossed his arms behind his head. "I wear what I want. _Suffer._ "

Kai rolled his eyes in response, although a small smirk was plaster on his face. "Whatever!" He lilted out, handing the jacket to Adam. "Put this on." He commanded. Adam was about to object, but then realized he didn't have a reason to object in the first place, so he just did as Kai said. Reeve widened his eyes at this exchange. "...Hey, that's Tristan's coat, right?" Reeve asked without providing much context, much to Adam's dismay. "Dude's been looking for that for a month now."

"Not _my_ problem if people leave their shit in my room. If they forgot about it they probably don't even need it anyways." Kai stated bluntly, emitting a loud whistle as he eyed Adam up and down, now wearing the Jacket. "Besides, it looks waaaaay better on Adam. Holy shit."

Adam laughed awkwardly at Kai's praise. "T-thanks!" He expressed his sincerity, feeling his pride rise back into place. Reeve was quick to add on to that praise. "Daaaaamn Kai's right. You stroll through the city in that and guys and gals alike won't be able to resist!"

Kai eagerly nodded in agreement, stepping closer towards Reeve. "Yeah. Total hottie vibes. If you weren't my teammate I'd want to fuck you right now-"

" _That doesn't count as a compliment. You'd bang anything that moves_." Reeve deadpanned. Kai let out an exaggerated gasp, and clutched onto his heart, collapsing onto the floor with dramatic air. "Reeve! Look what you've done to me, you betrayer! I thought we were friends! Amigos! Buddies!"

"The truth hurts doesn't it?" Reeve's smirk widened almost mockingly at Kai. "Stand up drama king."

"I don't remember you saying that when you _fucked_ me a few days ago-"

Kai was gently wacked in the head by Reeve, who bit his lip at Kai's retort. "I swear I'm gonna..."

"Gonna what? Beg for more?" Kai playfully stuck his tongue, a cat like smirk on his face. "Bet you wish this tongue was around your dick right now-"

Kai found himself floating high in the air, as Reeve's eyes glowed a bright white. "Say it again." Reeve commented, taunting Kai as he swayed them back and forth in the air. "I dare you to."

Kai's smiling eyes did not falter, and his smirk stayed strong. "You wouldn't." Kai accused. He didn't give a reason why. It was just a statement, a known fact that proved to be true when Reeve lowered Kai to the ground.

Kai cracked his knuckles, taking confident steps towards the front door. "You wouldn't be able to win in a fight with me anyways. Remember? One of the top ten!"

Reeve rolled his eyes, and lifted himself off the couch. "Wow, so humble you are!" His smirk faltered as he saw Adam's shocked and confused expression. "...What?"

Adam witnessed the entire...whatever the hell _that_ was, and was still trying to process everything. "...I have... _several_ questions-"

"No we aren't a thing." Reeve answered almost immediately, like it was a phrase he had trained himself to say with perfection. "Kai's just like that. You'll get used to it."

"...Ok...then...what about this top ten thing?"

"Oh, Kai's happy to explain that." Reeve answered, rolling his eyes with a smirk. "Come on, let's get in the Audi already before he sets our asses on fire."

"Oh my god, seriously? Mira didn't tell you about it?" Kai questioned in disbelief as he lounged in the driver's seat of the Audi, which rolled through the streets on its own. "There's a ranking for us winning teams. Whoever kills the most glitches on average is at the top."

"And Kai here managed to keep his team at number 9 for months before you or Mira came along." Reeve added on lazily. "Of course, with Mira able to help Kai out now, the team is number 5 now."

"A-all by yourself?" Adam exclaimed in amazement. He remembered distinctly Kai's old, awkward nature, and how he often got himself hurt with his fire powers. Now Kai sounded to be stronger than Adam himself. "How though?"

"I used to get...pissed off a lot. Took out my anger on the glitches. Sometimes I'd just destroy hundreds of them at midnight for hours." Kai explained, a nostalgic, yet uncomfortable expression on his face as he recalled the memories.

Adam blinked at Kai’s story, concern filling his heart. "...Wait...what "pissed you off a lot-””

"So where are we going?" Reeve suddenly asked, interrupting Adam’s question, and glaring at him. Almost as if saying without words to keep his mouth shut. Kai was eager to answer. "We're going to The Closet!"

"...The what?"

"It's an LGBTQ+ bar." Reeve answered for him, rolling his eyes. "The outside is a restaurant in the mornings."

...Well, Adam shouldn't really be surprised. Kai did mistake him for another Adam they supposedly...yeah. He was still surprised though. Back in the game Kai looked to be the straightest straight to ever straight "...Oh...so you're Bi?"

"Yep." Kai answered, turning to Adam and lowering his sunglasses. "I know a couple gal friends who peg me sometimes-"

"TMI." Reeve deadpanned. Kai snorted at Reeve's interruption. "You already know about this babe-"

"I'm saying it for the poor soul you just told that info to." Reeve jerked his head towards the gawking Adam in the back seat. Kai shook his head and twisted away from Adam's view. "Then he shouldn't have asked."

_Yeah. he probably shouldn't have._

"...Oh hey! We're here!" Exclaimed Kai, and sure enough, they were.

"The Closet" was a sleek, modern building with various high-end table sets scattered around the outside. Blacks and whites. There were a lot of blacks and whites all over the city now that Adam thinks about it. Color was an accent choice.

Kai practically dragged Adam to a seat, and quickly took charge as a waiter with coffee skin and dreadlocks showed up. Based on the way the two's eyes lit up upon sight, the waiter and Kai knew each other.

"... _Kaaaaaaaaai!_ " The waiter lilted out in a valley girl accent, and the two kissed each other on both cheeks, giggling in joy. Reeve rolled his eyes, and Adam watched in silence...because it was all he could do lately.

"Oh, my, god gurl where have you _beeeeeen_! I haven't seen you in The Closet at morning hours since like...well, we don't talk about _that_!" Giggled the waiter, who fanned away the incident he was about to mention.

"Oh hun I've just been going through a night owl phase! If you miss me so much all you gotta do is call. I'm basically always free!" Kai responded with an eager smile, and then turned to Adam. "Adam, this is one of my main side-hoes Kiki! Kiki, meet my recently awakened teammate Adam!"

"Well goddamn, aren't you a sweet sight to see." lilted out Kiki, who scanned him up and down and wiggled his eyes in approval. "Oh hun when you said this Adam guy was hot I didn't think you were referring to hot hot."

"Damn, should have been more specific!" Kai rolled his eyes, and crossed his legs. "He's a virgin though."

"Oh yeah I can tell." Deadpanned Kiki, and Adam was quick to defend himself, his face a bright red from the compliments. "I-I don't...! I may _not_ be a virgin!" He squeaked out. "I don't have my memories!"

"…You look like a top and act like a bottom." Muttered Kiki, and slapped Adam's back with a force enough to leave Adam's wheezing for air. "I like you! Ok so uh what you guys wanna order?"

Adam ordered a black coffee, nothing fancy. He poured tons of sugar and cream into it however, after a few tastes of the bitter black liquid.

Reeve also ordered a pure black coffee, and didn't even flinch when downing the first half. Adam shuddered in admiration.

Kai ordered a giant, mostly chocolate milkshake. He says mostly because as soon as the red-head got his order, he pulled out a flask from his fur coat and poured some of the contents into his milkshake. Knowing Kai so far? It was probably alcohol.

"What did you pour into your milkshake?" Adam casually asked.

"Tequila." Deadpanned Kai, who sipped the spiked milkshake in pure bliss.

Adam was right, but he sure wasn't proud of himself.

"...So." Reeve for once decided to start the conversation. "Skeet told me earlier this morning that he visited your house and met you." He focused his attention to Adam, who nodded in confirmation. "Yeah, he carried Kai to his room. I fell asleep in mine shortly afterwards. Did he end up staying over?"

"Yeah, definitely. Mira and Skeet are so fucking straight for each other." Reeve accused, rolling his eyes and sighing in annoyance. Kai eagerly nodded in agreement. "Will they? Won't they? Find out next time on "Mira and Skeet are oblivious and dumb."" The red-head added on sarcastically, sipping his milkshake and giggling as the alcohol further fuzzied his brain.

"Wait, Mira and Skeet have a crush on each other?" Adam concluded. He was surprised, but that was probably only because he hadn't seen Mira and Skeet interact yet.

"Yeah, everyone knows." Reeve muttered, a light smirk on his face. "Everyone except Mira and Skeet that is. They don't even know that they like each other. It's painful to watch."

The next few minutes were filled with light chatter like this. Stories that caught Adam up with the times. Skeet worked at a pizza shop. Vanessa was almost always busy with work from headquarters, and had adopted a "tough businesswoman" persona. Reeve got his ears pierced, and currently wore small pearls a friend gifted him. Kai was the one that gave Mira her makeover, claiming that her bad fashion sense kept the poor pyrokinetic up at night beforehand.

And he...!

...He...

 _...He hadn't changed a bit_. He was still the same old Adam...except more meek, considering he was still overwhelmed by this entire situation.

Everyone he knew... _they grew without him, whether little or small_...

"...Oh no, he's sad now." Kai suddenly noted, and he scooted extremely close to Adam, placing his hands along the sad Latino's cheeks, and turning their head to face him. "What's wrong hun?"

"...I just...so much has changed, I guess." Adam muttered hesitantly, gently pushing Kai away, and staring off to the busy traffic nearby. "I feel kind of left out."

"Hey man, don't worry about it." Reeve gently reassured, much to Adam's surprise. "I kind of felt the same way too, but time didn't just stop y'know. You'll make new memories now just like the rest of us."

"...Did you feel like this too Kai?" He turned to his teammate, who was caught off guard by the question, that was for sure.

"...I...not really." Kai shook his head, much to Adam's confusion. "I was the second one out of Vi-vi's team and our team to wake up. Vi-vi wasn't that different in personality back then. She was nice to me, and we got over the whole betrayal thing pretty quickly and became friends, but she was still that cocky scheming chick. Being one of the first to wake up had its own problems though." Kai was nearly finished with his milkshake. He was a fast sipper.

"Like what?" Adam couldn't help but inquire in curiosity.

"...Eh...waiting just kind of _sucks_ , you know?" Kai mumbled, twirling his straw around the empty glass, his tispy face flushed red. "...Didn't see Mira again until like...what... _8 months later?_ That right?" He raised his eyebrow at Reeve, who nodded a yes for an answer. Kai continued. "That's like more than half a year. Heck, here you are now, in front of me after 10 months. A lot can happen in just 1 month."

"You're basically a living example of that." Reeve chipped in, half finished with his coffee. "I mean, Skeet told me when he woke up you weren't too different from yourself in the game, just more mopey and quiet. By the time I woke up you were already starting to gel your hair and wear booty shorts." 

" _Starting_ too. That's the only thing I don't fully regret with my relationship with Ryan." Kai muttered, slamming his glass on the table and crossing his arms behind his back. "He had a _gooooood_ taste in fashion. Just wished he didn't constantly force outfits on me."

Reeve's gaze sobered, and he stared off to the side, a hint of guilt in his expression. Adam noted this reaction, and the name that floated with the air. Ryan. "...Who’s-“

" _Any questions you're about to ask can go fuck themselves_." Kai bluntly snapped, glaring at the silenced Adam. " _You know enough. It's none of your damn business_."

Kai then abruptly stood up from the table, and skipped over to the waiting Kiki. His persona changed in a flash. "Kikiiiiiii!" He almost moaned out. "You won't _believe_ what I heard at the new years party I was at! You should have been there biiiiitch!"

Adam blinked, as he watched Kai and Kiki gasp and giggle like school children at the juicy gossip, then he pursed his lips when all of a sudden Kai smooched the waiter on the lips. In under 3 seconds the two were making out, and before long Kai was dragging Kiki to the inside of The Closet, with a sultry smirk on both of their faces.

"And there goes the cowboy, off to ride one of his finest stallions." Reeve muttered in a mocking tone, sipping the last of his coffee and focusing his attention to the bewildered Adam. " _Yeah he wasn't kidding when he said Kiki is one of his side-hoes._ "

"...Are any of them going to like...show up in the house and do... _stuff_ with Kai in there?" Adam questioned, his concerned gaze pleading for Reeve to deny the idea.

"Nah." Reeve shook his head, and gave a tiny shrug. "Before Mira, Kai and his boyfriend Ryan got it on all the time in his room, but he's considerate for the girl's need to sleep. He hardly goes home with a one-night stand in toe."

"…So…This Ryan guy-“

“ _I’m not betraying Kai like that_.” Reeve stated with a hard-set gaze, finishing his coffee and cracking his shoulders. “If you want to know more you’re gonna have to gain his trust.”

Tense silence filled the air between Reeve and Adam…until Kai eventually emerged from The Closet with messy hair and sloppily worn clothes, along with Kiki, in a similar state. The two furiously made out some more before Kai tipped him for their orders, and skipped back to Adam and Reeve with a content smirk on his face.

"...That was fast." Adam mumbled, almost impressed. Kai heard this quiet comment, and let out a few light-hearted giggles. "I put the quick in quickie. Let's get going!" Kai beckoned, cat walking to the audi. "Wanna show you headquarters! You'll be there quiet a lot from now on!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOuuMmlf_DE
> 
> So yeah I'm kind of continuing this old sad idea-


	6. Cause the Players Gonna Play, Play, Play, Play, Play

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.

Hollow Headquarters was the biggest building Adam had ever seen.

It was sleek in design. 10 floors, and square shaped. The very top seemed hold some sort of strange plaza area, with huge archway attached to the very back.

Adam could tell that headquarters was right at the edge of the world. He could see the faded green wall from a distance. However, the inside of the archway seemed to be free of a wall.

“Welcome to the Hollow headquarters!” Kai exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together and skipping towards the main entrance. “Where all the magic happens!”

“…Woah…” Muttered Adam and awe, and Reeve lightly giggled in agreement. “Yeah, it’s huge.” The telekinetic stated, and followed Kai with lazy, relaxed eyes. “It’ll take a while to explore every inch and corner.”

The 3 teens traversed through the courtyard, passing by various teens just like them, performing their duties either with enthusiasm or dread.

Reeve would sometimes shout out a name to a passerby he recognized. The response given was usually friendly, sometimes more neutral.

Kai meanwhile, seemed to know everyone. “David~” He exclaimed to one guy, who slapped his ass and winked sultrily. “Emily!” He lilted out to a gal-friend, who kissed him on the cheek and invited him to tonight’s party. “Fuck you Jared!” He shouted, displaying a middle finger to another guy, who returned the gesture and stuck his tongue out.

Adam himself must have stuck out like a sore thumb. The passersby would turn their heads at him with wide, confused eyes. Some would even quietly whistle, eyeing him up and down. Adam took the confusion with discomfort, and the whistles with intrigue. He glanced down at his jacket, wondering if it really did make him look more handsome.

“ _…Sup sweet cheeks!_ Last night was wild huh?”

Kai halted into place, his eyes narrowing in anger. Reeve and Adam stood behind the red-head, as he slowly turned to a group of teens, smoking cigarettes and laughing mockingly.

“…You…” He growled out, as flames flowed through his hands. “ **You’re the bitch that fucked me last night aren’t you?! Thanks a lot asshole!** ”

“No problem babe! I’m widely known for my _excellent_ technique!” The leader bragged with a smug smirk. Kai begged to differ however. “Technique?! _You wouldn’t know technique if it pegged you with its 10-inch dick!_ My ass feels like a whisk was shoved up there!”

The leader’s pride was damaged by the comment, but one of his fellow smokers pat him on the back in reassurance. “Come on man, don’t take it so personally.” They smirked, and glanced at the thoroughly ticked off Kai. “That slut’s probably screwed worse!”

“Yeah. Your dad! I feel sorry for your poor mom!”

Kai’s comeback left the mocking trio speechless. Before they could respond, Kai waltzed away with Adam and Reeve in toe; his head held high and his heels clacking against the stairs to the entrance to headquarters.

“…Kai Jesus Christ…” Adam uttered under his breath. Somehow Kai heard that breath of a comment, and sharply turned his head. “Oh daddy yes~” He moaned out with a v sign over his tongue, before giggling in amusement at Adam’s flustered expression and skipping up the escalators. “You’re really fun to mess with!” He mewled out in bliss.

As Kai, Adam, and Reeve traveled up the chosen escalator. Reeve let out a tired sigh, and pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small blunt, which he put in his mouth.

He leaned towards Kai; waiting for the pyrokinetic to light it for him. Instead, Kai bit at the other end of the blunt teasingly. After a brief moment of processing, Reeve shoved Kai by his shoulder with an amused smirk, letting the red-head hold the blunt in his mouth. “Selfish bastard. I fucking hate you.” He mumbled, his statement an obvious lie, and pulled out another blunt, which Kai actually lit.

Adam plugged his nose as the strange fumes filled his nostrils. He let out a few coughs, and stepped down a step to avoid the smoke. Reeve, noting this reaction, cautiously blew out the fumes away from the Latino. Kai did not light his own blunt. He stored it in a pocket for future endeavors.

Adam, still plugging his nose, noted his new surroundings. With every floor he ascended, he saw more rows of desks, and file cabinets filled with all sorts of classified info. Groups of workers surfed through this info. Looked through them, made sure they were in quality condition, and then put them back. Others seemed to be writing more paperwork to put in folders, and then in those file cabinets.

“This is one of the jobs those on the losing team have to do.” Reeve explained for the curious Latino. “AKA, me. We record game data, create newscasts for the populous, etc.”

Eventually, they reached the ceiling of the building, where this outside plaza rested. Sure enough, there was that giant archway in front of them, with thousands of people dashing back and forth through it, exhausted from something.

“…Guys?!”

Adam, Reeve, and Kai looked behind themselves, only to find Mira, with a giant, growling wolf beside her. The canine barred its teeth protectively.

Mira quickly rushed over to the group, scratching the back of her sweaty neck. “Hey! What are you all doing here?” She then focused her attention to Kai, her smile morphing into more of a frown. “Especially you. You usually only come here once a week.”

“We’re showing him the headquarters now rather than later.” Reeve answered, finishing his blunt and crumbling it in his hands, the disfigured smoked object pixelated away, much to Adam’s shock. “To get used to the place before he actually has to do stuff.”

“Good idea!” Mira agreed with a slight smile, her gentle eyes easing some of Adam’s nerves. “This place is huge, but I’m sure with time you’ll memorize all the ins and outs.” As she said this, the wolf rubbed its body against her legs. She giggled and scratched its neck, cooing out its name. “This is Ritsuko! She’s my fighting companion. Not exactly friendly to strangers so I suggest you stay back Adam.”

“That’s why she’s growling.” Reeve muttered, crouched down to meet the wolf’s gaze, scratching the thankful canine’s chin. “Sup girl. Still beautiful as ever I see.” He lilted out with a small smile.

“It was my idea to bring Adam here!” Kai suddenly exclaimed, stepping towards Mira and leaning his head on her shoulder with a smug smirk. “See, I can be “responsible” when I want to be!”

Mira let out a frustrated sigh, and glared at the red-head next to her. “Yeah right.” She mumbled, and pushed Kai away from herself. “You smell like booze. Did you even take a shower?”

“I did. I just haven’t gotten rid of the vodka smell from this fur coat yet. Gonna take a few more heavy washes.” Kai defended himself, his eyes narrowing.

Adam gulped. Noticing the increasing tension between Kai and Mira.

Mira let out another sigh, and facepalmed. “Well maybe if you didn’t steal all your one night stands’ smelly trash you wouldn’t have to constantly wash them and waste money.”

“Well _maybe_ if you _minded your damn business_ for once you wouldn’t be so worried about it! I have tons of money stored in the bank Mira, a little detergent isn’t going to hurt anyone.” Kai countered.

“Of course! Of course! I’ll admit that is a nitpick but what about all the alcohol and weed you stockpile!? _Kai we don’t need that_!”

“ _What? So I can’t have fun_?!”

“Kai having fun isn’t the issue! The issue is that you’re a _lazy irresponsible man-child who won’t grow up and accept our new life_ -“

“ _Oh I’ve accepted it alright_!” Kai growled, poking Mira’s stomach and frowning in fury. “You’re the one that won’t grow up! _Do you honestly think that all this work you do matters anymore?!_ We aren’t going to find another planet Mira! We’re doomed!”

“You can’t honestly believe that with 100% confidence! If there’s a chance that we find a new planet, no matter how slim I want to be ready for that Kai! _Are you_?!”

Reeve gripped Adam’s arm, and Ritsuko’s collar, and slowly lead the two away from the arguing Mira and Kai. Ritsuko barked and howled at the commotion, wanting to protect her companion Mira. Adam did not struggle much from Reeve’s grasp, shocked at the two’s increasingly bitter exchange. “…What’s…why are they…?”

“They get like this a _lot_.” Reeve explained, squeezing Adam’s shoulder in comfort and watching the scene at a distance. “Kai and Mira have opposing viewpoints on this whole situation. They naturally clash because of it. They don’t hate each other. They do care for each other…it’s just.” Reeve raised his hand, and motioned towards the commotion that just raised in volume. “Their relationship is very strained. They argue about everything.”

Adam winced at this news. Kai and Mira? Constantly bickering? Before the game, Mira was the mediator between Kai and _his_ trouble…Things really have changed.

“So we’re not going to stop them?” He turned to Reeve, silently begging them to allow him to end the discourse. Reeve shook his head. “Nah, they’ll just _loudly_ tell you to stay out of it. They’ll make up eventually.” He reasoned, as he watched Kai storm away from the furious Mira, who repeated stomped her foot along the ground.

Kai pushed past Reeve and Adam, flames growing in his hands and under his feet as he grew closer and closer to the large archway behind them. He burst into the sky, through the archway, faster than light it seemed.

And then, Adam noticed, squinting his eye, various strangely shaped creatures. They glitched and roared in pain, as various super-powered teens attempted to take them down. Teens with super-strength like him would dodge almost every attack from these monsters, and land a fatal punch or kick that would disintegrate them. Teens with Mira’s power would order their animal companion to serve bites and scratches to their foes.

Kai himself, like some sort of skilled fiery ninja, completely disintegrated all the of these glitchy monsters in the span of only a few seconds. The brief explosions colored his body in various neon colors, and his rage filled eyes flamed up in intensity.

More glitch monsters poked their heads through the sky, and Kai dealt with those creatures as well. He blasted his way through them. His screams of frustration could be heard from afar as he threw a small tantrum.

Adam was prepared to suggest that they all try to calm Kai down, but Mira was quick to shut down that idea before he could even express it. “No calming him when he’s in this state.” Mira muttered, crossing her arms and letting out a small sigh. “We’ll wait for him to cool his head. For now…” Mira turned to Reeve, waiting for ideas.

Reeve gladly gave one, after a moment of thought. “…Adam could meet Vanessa?” He suggested. “… _If she’s not busy_.” He added under his breath.

Mira nodded eagerly at this suggestion. “Yeah! Great idea!” It seemed any activity would be better than watching a red-head 16-year-old’s rampage. “She should be a couple floors below. Come on Adam!”

Adam, after a brief moment of hesitance and watching Kai’s hissy-fit with concern, followed Reeve and Mira down the rooftop.

In his heart, he hoped that Mira and Kai would make up sooner rather than later. If not sooner, then he would...hopefully try to help mend the situation later, without getting ripped apart with words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veJlefvVkPI
> 
> So ye new chapter whoops-


	7. Watch this Madness, Colorful Charade!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one can be just like me any way!

“Here’s today's bundle of paperwork Vanessa.”

“Hey Vanessa, could you take care of sorting these folders for me?”

“Yo Van! Some huge news just came in! Think you can organize the info?”

“Thanks Vi-vi! You’re such a hard worker!”

A woman in black heels traveled through the hallways with her bundle of work in her arms. She adjusted the bun holding together her black hair, with slight pink fades still left from the good old days of dyeing and partying.

People focused their attention on her when she passed by; entranced by the aura of confidence that surrounded her. It soon disappeared along with her, as she shut herself in her office.

Inside, the woman, named Vanessa, let out a relieved sigh. She adjusted her bra straps, made a fresh cup of coffee, and put on her reading glasses, prepared to continue her already 4-hour long duty.

...

Letting out a small sigh, she rubbed her temples, as uncertainty filled her. She had taken too long of a break. Now she's too anxious to work-

A knock on the door caused her to drop her pencil in surprise. A familiar voice, calling for her name, lowered her eyelids as annoyance filled her soul.

“…Reeve, I’m busy!” The woman shouted, a slight hiss in her tone as she gulped down half of her coffee. “Whatever you have that’s so important, I’m sure it can wait until later-“

“Vanessa! We want to introduce you to someone! Someone you…might already know.”

…

“…Who?” Vanessa inquired, her curiosity getting the better of her. Her curiosity was keeping her mind off of those uncertain thoughts.

“He’s someone you met in the game.”

…

_…Holy shit._

“…Come in.” Vanessa’s tone became more friendly, and she removed any fear from her expression as she took off her reading glasses, and waited for her office door to open.

Sure enough, Reeve emerged through the door, along with Mira, that mutt Ritsuko, and…just as she suspected, Adam.

Adam gulped at the lady he was presented with. Posh, and filled with supposed class. The Vanessa he saw now was quite the different sight from the goth chick he met in the game. Her makeup was more subdued, expect for her lipstick, a cool red.

Standing up from her desk, her heels clacked on the marble floor. “…Well. Isn’t this a surprise.” She remarked, offering her hand with a small smirk plastered on her lips, and ignoring the glorified dog that decided to take a nap on her recently clean rug. “Nice to see you again Adam. Sorry about the whole…game incident.”

“…No problem.” Adam replied with a slight strain, taking Vanessa’s hand and awkwardly shaking it. “You…sure have changed…but then again, so has everyone it seems.”

“You’re in for a huge loop.” Vanessa remarked with a light giggle, and then returned to her comfort, her desk of paperwork. “Has he seen Kai yet.”

“Oh yeah. We hung out earlier.” Reeve answered, wrapping his arm around Adam’s shoulders in a buddy-like fashion. Adam actually didn’t mind the contact. This new Reeve was a pretty decent guy. “We went to The Closet. Him and Kiki…caught up.”

“Of course they did.” Vanessa remarked, rolling her eyes. “I’m surprised Kai bothered to show his face after what happened last time he was at the Closet during morning hours.”

“What happened last time?” Adam questioned, which he quickly regretted with Mira’s answer. “Kai got drunk off his ass and got a bit too steamy with one of the waiters on top of one of the tables…I was there…the owner was _piiiiiiissed_.”

“It was Kiki wasn’t it.” Reeve remarked with a slight grimace, which slightly intrigued Adam.

“No, it was someone else. They got fired.” Mira remarked. Reeve’s supposed frustration didn’t seem to lower by much from that answer.

Vanessa’s penmanship, according to Adam’s upside-down observation, was almost impeccable. Despite her continuous work however, she still somehow payed attention to the conversation. “Anyways.” She started, changing the topic to something more innocent. “Has Adam chosen a part-time job yet?”

Adam shook his head quickly. “No. I uh…I woke up yesterday so…”

“Oh…?” Vanessa raised her head up from her work, intrigued by Adam’s answer. “…If you ever need any sort of financial advice, I’m free…as long as you set an appointment beforehand.” She took another sip from her coffee. “I’m booked up this week so you’ll have to wait.”

“You sure seem busy.” Adam remarked, glancing at the similarly hardworking Mira. “You intent on preparing for a… _planet landing_ as well?”

“…No, not really.” Vanessa answered, much to Adam’s surprise. “I couldn’t care less, really, whether we’re doomed to float in space or not. I work hard because I feel like it. It’s the responsible thing to do.” Vanessa placed her empty coffee cup by her unfinished paperwork. “And that’s the darjeeling.”

Adam blinked; in awe by Vanessa’s answer. Straightforward, and simple.

“…Now, I’d love to chat till the stars start shining, but I need to get all of this done.” Vanessa urged, pointing at her head sized bundle of work. “It’s been fun, now go.”

And go the trio and a half went. In but a short span of time, the three and Ritsuko surrounded a nearby vending machine, sipping their sodas in momentary contentedness.

“…I got to get back to work.” Mira remarked; scratching Ritsuko’s neck. “You two have fun without me, alright!”

The trio and a half diminished into a duo. Reeve and Adam glanced at each other, and the layer of awkwardness that just slid between them.

…

“…So uh…” Reeve began, clearing his throat. “…Anywhere particular you want to go to?”

Adam contemplated this question. “…I…I don’t know.”

“Oh yeah, right…you just woke up yesterday…”

“Yeah…Don’t know many places in this city.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…Do… _you_ have a specific place in mind?”

Reeve blinked at this inquiry, and after moment of thought, came up with an answer. “…Wanna see the flower shop I work at?”

“…”

“…”

“…Yeah, sure.” Adam eventually answered with a small smile.

Kai’s rampage was eventually interrupted by the shouts of a voice he had heard before.

In all honest to goodness, he didn’t remember who exactly the person was, he just remembered getting a few groans out of them in the bathroom stalls one time.

So, since he was already mostly calm at this point, he flew back down, right in front of this person that had called for his name. “Yeah?”

“Hey there hon.” Lilted out this somewhat familiar man, who eyed him up and down with a sultry smile. “You don’t usually show up to headquarters this early.”

 _Here we go._ “I know! I know!” Kai giggled out in response, keeping his distance from the guy. Even he wasn’t in a sexy mood at times, “I’m just showing my teammate around! He woke up recently, you know?”

“I see!” the guy responded in disinterest, and wrapped his arm around Kai’s waist, pulling him suggestively closer. “Say, why don’t you ditch him for a bit and have some fun with me? Last time was pretty steamy, aye?”

Kai internally sighed, as he slowly pushed himself out of the man’s grasp. “Oh I’d _love_ too but I have to keep an eye on him! He’s with Reeve sure, but I’m the life of the party after all! Doubt those two will be able to hit it off by themselves yet-“

And before Kai could talk his way out of the conversation, he was grabbed by the wrist, and pulled back into a tight embrace. “Ah come on! Just a quickie! You know you want to, deep down.” The man insisted, his smile fading into an amused smirk.

 _“You realize this is bordering on sexual harassment, right?”_ Kai’s tone was suddenly laced with venom, and his gaze pierced right through the young man’s soul. “ _You don’t want me to tell Gustaf about this_.”

…

The man pushed Kai to the floor, his frustration apparent in his tight frown. “Fucking bastard.” He growled. “Fine, be that way. Act all high and mighty, like you have standards. We all know the truth.” He scoffed, and wandered off. “Everyone _loves_ you Kai, _but no one respects you_.”

…

Kai slowly stood up from the ground, ignoring the brief stares of the various passersby.

Adjusting his leather collar, and his sloppily worn tank top, Kai stomped down the building with his head held high, seemingly unaffected by what the young man said to him.

Reeve’s flower shop rested along the city’s main street, where various businesses, big and small, awaited a customer’s visit.

The flower shop in particular rested in a corner. Quaint and small, it had a nice, homey air to it.

Technically it wasn’t Reeve’s flower shop, according to Reeve himself. He works with the actual owner.

The double doors were unlocked with the key Reeve had attached to his key-chain, and the inside was revealed. The lights were dimmed, as the shop was closed for the day. Not a single living soul was in sight.

Adam wandered around the small shop, remarking the various flowers in display. Sunflowers, roses, daisies, forget-me-nots, spider lilies. They had it all!

“We also offer an arrangement service!” Reeve remarked, sprinting to the counter and slamming his hand on the call bell on the service counter in boredom. “Come here to buy a rose bouquet for your queen you fucking simp.”

Adam snorted, and shook his head at Reeve’s remark. The fresh scent of the flowers eased some of the nerves that had been so heightened since he woke up. “Heeey. Why do you have to attack your customers like that?”

“I’m not wrong! Everyone comes here to get some pretty flowers for their fucking lover and it makes me _uuuuuuuugh!_ It’s so cheesy! For once I want someone to just…buy some flowers for themselves.” Reeve wished, a bored frown on his face. “Because god knows whether your crush is going to accept the gift or not. At least you can trust yourself to appreciate the flowers.”

“People give other people flowers to show they care. It’s sweet.” Adam justified, leaning his arm against the service counter. “It’s less a call for attention and more a gesture of kindness.”

Reeve snorted, and shook his head ever so slightly. “Yeah. _Should_ be. Too bad that’s hardly the case. So many people think you can just _buy_ love.” A smirk formed on Reeve’s face. “If I ever liked someone, I’d express those feelings with actions; not gifts or words.”

“…If?” Adam’s interest was piqued, and his raised eyebrow complemented his teasing smile. “You saying you haven’t had a crush or anything yet? Even after living here for how long?”

A subtle blush formed on Reeve’s face, although he was surprisingly composed. That brief bout of flustery was replaced with somberness however. Reeve turned his head away, staring at the yellow chrysanthemums growing by one of the windows. “…I…had one crush.”

Adam blinked at the confession, his concern slowly growing. “…Oh…you did?” He remarked, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “…What was their name?”

“…I don’t want to talk about it.” Reeve dismissed Adam’s curiosity, and let out a small huff. “She’s married now. If I still had feelings for her I wouldn’t stand a chance.”

…

“…Relationships are weird.” Reeve finalized. Adam silently agreed to the statement, even if he couldn’t understand the true weight behind it.

“There you are! Assholes!”

Reeve and Adam jumped in shock as a clearly annoyed Kai kicked open the flower shop door, a bright flame sparking in his glaring gaze. “I can’t believe you two left me behind! What kind of friends are you!”

“S-sorry Kai.” Reeve and Adam apologized simultaneously, as Kai proceeded to rant about how he looked basically _everywhere_ for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7uLC9UeTbw
> 
> Yeet.


End file.
